I went to install the new cam in the block I got back from the shop and it wont go in. They put in new cam bearings. I tried the old cam for giggles and it didn't fit properly either. Is this a common prob. with 390s? You'd think they could install them square if that's the case. Could they also be the wrong size? A hair too small perhaps?
OOOOO, trying to access emories that old is hard on an old curmudgeons head..... Cam bushings are different sizes.... those at the front have a larger ID than those at the back.... it IS possible to screw up and install them in the wrong order and they will appear to drive in properly. It is also possible to burr the edge of the bushing during installation.
"Wont go in..." doesn't really carry enough info.... Wont start to go in? Only goes part way? You may need to send some time figuring how far the cam does go in and which journal is causing the hang-up. A little Prussioan Blue, careful installation (you can fab an installation 'handle' with some pipe and some readi-rod) and a sharp eye can help decipher the conumdrum...
No burrs, all the bearings seemed fine, oiled them and the cam surfaces with assembly oil, used my homemade cam tool, had the block cam hole up sitting on the shop floor so I could install the cam from above. Good thing it's the first thing I did when I got the block home. You'd think and experienced shop could install them in the correct order. I'm also not 100 percent sure
390 bearings are different sizes. I measured the old and new cams journals with a caliper and they're all the same size.
Don't need prussan blue. I installed the cam almost
3 journals in and it left nice little marks on the bearings. :)
OK... now is the time to use your God given senses and either decipher what the marks are telling you or let the rest of us in on the secret....
You have indications and evidence.... you're not passing these on, but you want someone, sight unseen, to tell you the solution to your situation. If someone is going to help you, you will need to supply ALL the info you have. You can add all the smileys you want... those marks are the clue to your problem... or is that fact a little too obvious????
FWIW.... I can't think of any "thin wall' (read as late 50s and newer) motors that don't use a descending cam bushing order..... this is used to minimize scuffing to the forward bushings as the cam is inserted into the block.
Well, got it fixed today. One of the cam bearings was a little cockeyed. Got it on the stand, painted and ready for the crank and pistons tomorrow, that is, if I'm not too hung over. :)
Word of advice..... snug the mains down evenly. Move the crank front to rear and back a few ties to "set" the thrust bearing... that's the first one that get's torqued to spec. After it's torqued, give the crank at least one full revolution. Torque an adjacent main bearing.... give the crank at least one complete revolution....repeat this process and note any strange behaviour. Same goes for rods, torque them one at a time with a revolution between.... any tight bearings will be immediately noticable... And you thought I was just another pretty face...
I can only hope that this episode has brought the need for information to the forefront... as it stands, it has been a complete waste of time for us both.... If you had looked closely at your dilemma, you would have seen the problem straight up..... As Cheech and Chong once said "Bailiff.... whack his pee-pee".
Anyone else like to comment on this? Lol.
BTW. Thank you for the advice, Jim. I also found your ego to be quite amusing. Thank's for the chuckles. :)
My ego is amusing??? I'm not the one that can't describe what he is seeing.... waiting, instead, for some psychic to offer up a miracle cure to "it wont got in..." being the only symptom.
Doctor, I hurt... cure me.....
When you assemble the rest of your motor, you would be better served to actually use your God given senses.
installation.
Give me a break Mister. I'm only 17. I'm not old enough to know everything yet. Like you are.
Mark,
If you're only 17 then you're doing great. When I was I was about that age, I had to do the heads in my Galaxy 500XL. It, too, had a 390. The problem was, I didn't know whether to shit or go blind. Luckily, I had my uncle to help me. He treated me with respect, and didn't have a "holier-than-thou" attitude.
Best of luck on your project.
Bob '03 Cobra coupe
All the more power to you, young sir..... Aside from your dig about the ego thing (what spurred that, I'll never know) I hope you learned that your senses are one thing that you need to bring to the assembly bench. I've never said that I know everything... matter of fact, after doing this for getting close to 40 years, I seriously doubt that I will know everything.
Just so you can see, let's go back to your original post..... how much info did you really give? Without enough info, we can't tell if it's bad parts, stupid machinist tricks or stupid assembler tricks..... I've seen a lot of all of them and even tried a couple myself. It was your second post before you got around to mentioning the marks in the cam bushing..... a brief description of the marks would have gone a long way to helping.... where they were shiny... all the way around or not... what position... All this stuff can help.
Since you're a young'un, don't forget to follow my crank and rod installation advice..... but then I guess that's ego and not help talking there. Plasti-gage all the bearings dry before final assembly (remember "stupid machinist tricks"?). I probably forgot to mention snugging each cap and giving the motor one full rotation before torquing that cap...... Some more ego for you..... The top end of your FE has 4 places with "Y" junction of three gaskets and four places with a "T" junction of two gaskets..... if you don't pay special attention to these, your motor will slobber all over the place. Since when did experience become ego?
One thing I did learn by the time I was 17..... be sure the foot your pissing on today isn't attached to the ass you'll be kissing tomorrow. Back when I first started out, I had journeymen that were sticklers for exact - these guys could be mean.... I had journeymen that did just enough to get the car out the door...... If it's worth doing.... it must be worth doing right.
I'm not really 17, Jim. I was just messing with your head. I've rebuilt several engines before. If you read my first post carfully then you'd understand I was mearly asking if there were different cam journal diameters for different FE big blocks and I'm not talking about the difference in sizes each set has. The ego thing comes from your automatically assuming I didn't know anything about engine rebuilding based on a misunderstanding of what I was asking in the first place, and comments like these:
"OOOOO, trying to access emories that old is hard on an old curmudgeons head....."
"OK... now is the time to use your God given senses and either decipher what the marks are telling you or let the rest of us in on the secret...."
"You have indications and evidence.... you're not passing these on, but you want someone, sight unseen, to tell you the solution to your situation. If someone is going to help you, you will need to supply ALL the info you have. You can add all the smileys you want... those marks are the clue to your problem... or is that fact a little too obvious????"
"And you thought I was just another pretty face..."
"I can only hope that this episode has brought the need for information to the forefront... as it stands, it has been a complete waste of time for us both.... If you had looked closely at your dilemma, you would have seen the problem straight up..... As Cheech and Chong once said "Bailiff.... whack his pee-pee"."
"My ego is amusing??? I'm not the one that can't describe what he is seeing.... waiting, instead, for some psychic to offer up a miracle cure to "it wont got in..." being the only symptom."
"Doctor, I hurt... cure me....."
"When you assemble the rest of your motor, you would be better served to actually use your God given senses."
Again, thank you for the laughs. Everyone in my shop thought it was hilarious.
Mark
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